DOI: 10.1007/s00339-007-4237-9 Appl. Phys. A 90, 89–95 (2008) Materials Science & Processing Applied Physics A m. szczepaniak d. nawrocka ✉ m. mrozek-wysocka Applied geology in analytical characterization of stone materials from historical building Adam Mickiewicz University, Institute of Geology, ul. Mak´ ow Polnych 16, 61-606 Pozna´ n, Poland Received: 8 November 2006/Accepted: 17 July 2007 Published online: 28 August 2007 • © Springer-Verlag 2007 ABSTRACT Investigations of the provenance and technology of ancient materials are an important part of archaeological research. Studies of the geology of a region combined with petrographic research and chemical analysis may allow one to establish a possible source of raw-materials used. They also en- able selection of the materials from currently accessible sources in the process of renovation or reconstruction of buildings [1–3]. Until now, the authors have carried out the studies in order to determine provenance of the raw-materials, the de- tailed analysis of composition (for the stone materials from Romanesque buildings in South Wielkopolska – Poland, and from ancient ruins in northern Israel and northern Egypt. Petrographic analysis (macro- and microscopic observations), cathodoluminescence (CL), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and stable isotopes analysis have been applied. In the next step, the detailed composition analysis enables, in the case of mortars, selection of suitable samples for dating [4, 9] and to determine the age of a given object, either directly by absolute dating (e.g. 14 C of lime mortars) or indirectly, by relative age estimation on the basis of finds and artifacts (their components and characteristic style for a specific period). PACS 07.60 Pb; 78.60 Hk; 91.65 Dt; 91.60.-x; 07.85.Nc 1 Introduction Stone materials, mortars from historical objects are valuable sources of information. Most frequently they reflect local geology and the technology of their treatment, kind of finish and applied admixtures enrich knowledge about a given historical period, technological advance, applied building ma- terials and their origin. Detailed petrographic analysis, deter- mination of grain size and type of aggregate and binder in the case of mortars, are useful not only for identification of ori- ginal material source, but also to help match materials from currently accessible sources in the process of renovation or reconstruction of the buildings. Coexistence of the building material occurring in the given object with newer ones, emplaced during renovation works, is an important issue. Physical properties of the historical mortars and those supplemented during renovation processes ✉ Fax: +48618296001, E-mail: danutamich@go2.pl should not differ significantly, in order to minimize potential discrepancies between the applied materials, their resistance to atmospheric factors and their behaviour in time. Antique, historical building techniques and material selection were strictly connected not only with the material accessibility but also with traditions and customs in a specific, concrete cul- tural context. The paper aims to show different aspects of geological-archaeological studies, the potential of character- ising stone materials from excavations and different physico- chemical methods, serving for identification of the uncovered objects [5–9]. Petrographic investigations are one of the most effective methods of identification [10], classification and se- lection of potential components for application in renovation works. Macro- and microscopic analysis supplemented with XRD studies, precisely defined the composition of mortars and thanks to that also helped in sample selection for radio- carbon dating [4]. The studies on the geology of the region together with petrographic investigations and cathodolumi- nescence, established possible sources of stone materials for the Romanesque churches in Wielkopolska. The purpose of the presented study is not a detailed analy- sis of a specific archaeological settlement, but the presentation of diverse possibilities of geological knowledge application in archaeological research and in the characteristics of building stone materials. The investigations comprise petrographic and XRD analysis of binding materials and cathodoluminescence and petrographic research of stone materials. The presented re- sults include the characteristics of binding materials on the ex- ample of the settlements from the Galilean Lake area (Hippos), stone materials from Wielkopolska (the churches in Kalisz, Ko´ scielec Kaliski, and Kotl´ ow, local outcrops) [11] and from the Greco-Roman town located on south coast of the Mediter- ranean (Marina el Alamein) in Egypt [3, 12], Fig. 1. The knowledge about the geology of the region, petrographic and physico-chemical studies together with archaeological con- text – wall chronology established by archaeologists – allow for determination of inhabitation stages for the settlement and width minimization of the time ranges for the given objects, and also enables mutual verification of the obtained results [4]. 2 Materials and methods 2.1 Mortars The characteristics of mortars are presented by giv- ing an example of material sampled from an ancient set-